Safety of women passengers to be ensured in trains: DGP

Tuesday, February 28, 2012: In the backdrop of the recent attacks on women passengers in trains, DGP Jacob Punnouse on Tuesday forwarded a letter to Railway south zone manager seeking to issue travel passes to 60 police personnel immediately.
In the letter, DGP informed that the strength of police personnel in the trains would be increased to ensure the safety of women commuters. DGP also expressed concern over the recent increase in number of incidents in which women passengers are frequently attacked.
Meanwhile a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) of New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express was today arrested here for misbehaving with a woman passenger.
According to Railway Protection Force (RPF) sources, Ramesh Kumar, a resident of New Delhi, was arrested on the basis of a written complaint given by the middle-aged woman passenger that he misbehaved with her while the train was passing through Uduppi and Mangalore yesterday.
The woman said the TTE approached her when the train passed the Mudgaon station and her coach was almost empty. He sought to befriend her by offering tea or coffee and even tried to touch her, she alleged.
She then informed her relatives about the harassment over mobile phone.
The matter was brought to the notice of the RPF by her relatives and the TTE was taken into custody from Thrissur.
On the arrival of the train here in the wee hours, he was arrested and questioned by the RPF officials. He was subjected to medical examination and found to be mentally and physically fit, sources said.
Kumar was produced in a local court here and was remanded to police custody.
Recently, two TTEs came under scanner for allegedly misbehaving with a woman passenger on a train between Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram.
The two TTEs in question were initially suspended, but the punishment was later revoked, following which a petition was filed in the court of the Judicial Magistrate, charging that the suspensions were an “eyewash”.
Directing the Railway Police to register a case against the two TTEs, the court also directed them to register a case against the Divisional Railway Manager as the Railway Police had refused to register the case of alleged misbehaviour.